


Scylla

by Winter_Nightingale



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Dark Brotherhood - Freeform, F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, The Dark Brotherhood is involved so you should know whats Going on, There is frickin murder bruh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-12-07 13:11:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11624223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winter_Nightingale/pseuds/Winter_Nightingale
Summary: It's hard to be a good kid in a family of abusive assholes. Lucky for Sissel a certain pair of assassins might just be in the mood to help her with her problem.





	Scylla

So far this day was turning out to be the same as all the rest in her eight years of life. Sissel had gotten up at dawn and slipped out of the house trying to avoid waking up her father and sister. She did all the chores she could before the rest of Rorikstead had even begun to stir. She had just finished pulling the weeds from her father’s garden when she heard the front door slam shut and her father, already angry, stomp down the stairs. She wondered what Britte had done that could have made him this angry so early in the morning. She just hoped she could avoid his wrath, at least for a little while. She hurriedly tossed the weeds into the pile and looked down at her feet when he came closer. Lemkil wasn’t a pleasant man, he was known more for his short temper and love of strong ale than anything else. Sissel hoped she had done a good enough job to avoid turning his anger towards her. She had been desperately wishing he would walk past her and start working on the crops but Lady Luck did not smile on her today. “You useless brat,” he snarled “You can’t do anything right. Look at how many weeds you missed.” Sissel wanted to cower away from his harsh words but that would only make things worse. “Get out of my sight.” He growled and shoved her harshly away from himself. She quickly regained her balance and raced away from him. She saw her sister coming out of the house and tried to run faster before she spotted her. It was pointless; Britte saw her anyway and the chase began. Everyday this happened: their father would be angry and Britte would take out her frustrations on her younger twin if she could catch her. Sissel was grateful that she was faster than Britte but that didn’t always save her. Sometimes her sister would corner her and then beat her so she wouldn’t be able to run until she healed. Her only place of refuge was the home of Jouane Manette, an old Breton man who was her only friend. Jouane was one of the few people in Rorikstead who made any effort to help Sissel with her problems at home. He had tried to convince her father to be nicer to his daughters and give them some newer clothing but those acts had only angered her father and the next day she had many new bruises to show for it. Once he saw that his actions had only made it worse, he had found another way to help her. He started teaching her magic. It was a secret between the two of them. If the rest of the village found out, Jouane might have been run out of town. Sissel kept asking him to teach her fire magic but he said it was too dangerous with her being so young. Instead he had taught her how to put out candles and torches, which she enjoyed regardless. She dreamed of the day she would be strong enough to stand up to her father and her sister, but that day was not today.  
Sissel was racing down the main road that cut the small village in half looking over her shoulder in fear that Britte would show up with more rocks to throw at her. She was so distracted that she didn’t see the large horse in her way and bumped into it. She was sent sprawling onto her back and gasped at the sight of the large creature. She had never seen a horse like this one, his coat was as dark as a moonless night and his eyes blazed red as freshly spilled blood. The glowing eyes unsettled her but she didn’t feel afraid of the beast. She jumped when she heard a voice come from the side of the horse  
“Woah there kid, you okay?” Sissel looked up and couldn’t hide her surprise when she saw who had spoken. From the voice she could tell it was a woman but this had to be the tallest woman she’d ever seen. She was wearing strange armor that matched the colors of her horse, with jagged spikes on the shoulders and horns jutting off the helmet. Sissel had heard stories of armor such as this from some of Jouane’s books. It had to be the legendary Daedric armor. She then remembered that the woman had asked her a question and was now offering her hand to help Sissel to her feet.  
“Y-yes mam, I’m fine.” she said taking the large gauntleted hand and was pulled up to stand. As she pulled her hand away, she noticed a strange ring on the woman’s finger. It was made of silver with the head of a wolf carved into the outside.  
“What has you in such a hurry?” the stranger asked as she knelt in front of Sissel to make sure she wasn’t injured.  
“I’m trying to get away from my sister.” Sissel said fearfully looking over her shoulder and seeing Britte looking for her. The armored woman followed her gaze and said “Quick, get behind the horse.” Sissel didn’t question her, she assumed that whatever could befall her from hiding behind the strange creature would be better than letting her sister catch her. Once she was behind the beast, it sat on its haunches like a dog and completely hid her from view. Sissel heard her sister run by and a few moments later the tall stranger said “She’s gone” and the horse stood back on its hooves.  
“Thank you” Sissel said.  
“You’re welcome but why are you running from her?” She asked.  
“Most of the time I try to stay away from my dad and Britte. The beating’s the same from either one of them.” She said before she could stop herself. Sissel couldn’t see the woman’s face but she felt a change in her mood. Before Sissel could beg her not to say anything, the woman looked behind her and stood up. Sissel heard running footsteps stop just a few feet away from the woman but, because of her size, Sissel couldn’t see around the woman to see who it was.  
“So, where’ve you been?” the tall woman asked this person while placing her hands on her hips. Sissel leaned around her to see who she was talking to and saw someone who was just as strange as this woman and her horse but for an entirely different reason. She saw a small Imperial man who was possibly a foot and a half shorter than the woman. He had hair as red as the horse’s eyes that reached the top of his shoulders and he was wearing strange black and red clothing that didn’t look like anything she had ever seen.  
“Cicero has been trying to find you. The Listener left him behind.” He said in a strange voice sounding a bit like a petulant child.  
“I looked for you for three hours mister, it is not my fault. If you just stayed close to me like I asked you to, this wouldn’t happen.” The woman gently scolded. The Imperial looked sheepishly down at his boots and the woman laughed and playfully pulled his hat down over his eyes.  
“It’s alright. It’s really not that hard to find you. You did miss it though, Shadowmere’s big butt finally had a use.” Sissel assumed that this was the name of the horse and giggled when the beast snorted and glared at his rider. The woman simply shoved the horse’s head away and turned back toward Sissel.  
“I’m Skyela,” she said “this is Cicero and Shadowmere.” Sissel smiled at them.  
“I’m Sissel.” She said. Skyela reached up and removed her helmet to return the smile and Sissel was finally able to see her face. She was a Nord with long blond hair and bright, cheerful blue eyes. Sissel noticed the scar over her right eye and a few on her cheek along with the points on her ears when she brushed some loose hair behind them. With a shock, Sissel recognized her. A few months ago when a dragon had attacked Rorikstead this same woman, she had been wearing different armor at the time, had defeated it and absorbed its soul. “You…You’re the Dragonborn.” Sissel said slightly in awe. Skyela giggled and smiled widely  
“I am. It was nice to meet you Sissel.” She said and stood. Sissel looked around and saw that Britte was nowhere in sight so hopefully she could reach Jouane’s house safely if she went now. “It was nice to meet you too Miss Dragonborn.” She said as she turned and ran for her friend’s home. 

All throughout her lesson with Jouane she had been distracted by her chance encounter with the Dragonborn. She wondered what kind of adventurous life she led and how she was powerful enough to bend dragons to her will. How she never had to fear the anger of others like Sissel did.  
“You seem distracted today Sissel.” Jouane noticed ending the spell he had been about to cast. “I’m sorry, Jouane. I want to learn, I just ran into the Dragonborn on my way here.” She said hoping he would understand.  
“Oh the Dragonborn eh? I understand. I remember how meetings like that can be.” He said smiling. Sissel looked out the window and saw the orange glow in the sky that signaled sunset and realized she would have to return home.  
“I have to go Jouane.” She said standing and heading for the door. She saw the deep sadness on the old man’s face but knew if she stayed it would only bring her father’s wrath down on him too. When she stepped outside and started down the road she saw Shadowmere still standing where he had been a few hours earlier. This puzzled her until, to her horror, she saw the Dragonborn standing in her father’s fields talking to him. Sissel could hear her father’s angry voice even from that far away. She had forgotten to ask Skyela not to say anything about what she had accidentally said. She hoped and prayed to the Nine that the large woman was simply buying potatoes or something from her father. When she reached the steps of her house, she saw the Dragonborn walking back towards Shadowmere with Cicero at her side. Sissel didn’t want to eavesdrop on what they were saying but she had to know if she could expect a harsh beating once her father got home.  
“What a horrid man.” Skyela said to her companion.  
“What are we going to do, my Listener?” he asked, looking up at her helmet as the taller woman threw her arm around his shoulders.  
“What we do best, dear Keeper. What we do best.” Sissel didn’t know what this meant but from the manic grin that covered Cicero’s face, it had to be something they both enjoyed. Sissel watched Skyela pull herself into Shadowmere’s saddle. After pulling Cicero up behind her, she dug her heels into the beast’s sides and galloped away from the village.

It was nearly midnight now with the full moons high overhead and, if it hadn’t been for the knot of anxiety in her stomach, Sissel might have thought it was beautiful. As it was, she was sitting at the window near the door of her house waiting for her father to stagger across the road from the tavern where he had spent the last six hours drinking. Britte called her stupid for sitting up every night waiting for the beating that might never come but Sissel preferred to be cautious than to be awoken by violence. Besides, these were the only hours of peace the young girl could get. She would watch the lights in the sky and listen to the animals. Occasionally she would see the shadow of a flying dragon and hear the echo of a roar. This night, however, there were no lights and dark clouds obscured most of the stars. Sissel jerked her head up when she heard the echoing howl of a wolf in the nearby plains. Wolves were not an unusual sight near Rorikstead but this particular one sounded so much louder than others. She decided not to dwell on it when she saw the door of the tavern swing open, casting light down onto the road until a man staggered out and the door swung shut. Sissel could tell it was her father as he stumbled past a guard that was patrolling the village. He was nearly to the steps of the house when something caught her eye. A large dark mass was racing down the road into town. In the darkness, all Sissel could see was the bulk of the thing and two gleaming eyes. It took a few moments for her father’s drunken mind to register the danger but by then the beast was within three meters of him. Before he could move, it pounced. Sissel moved slightly out of the window but continued to watch as the creature hit her father, knocking him to the ground. Then it raised its forelegs and the moonlight caught on dagger-like claws just before they tore into its screaming victim. As Sissel watched the creature rip her father to shreds, she found herself smiling. Never again would she need to fear her father’s anger or be reduced to tears by his hateful words. She would be free. She tore her eyes away from the attack when she heard the shouting of the guards running to her father’s aid. She frantically looked back to where the creature now stood over what was left of Lemkil and whispered for it to run. To get away. As the guards drew nearer with their torches, Sissel gasped as she could make out its features. It would have been taller than the Dragonborn if it hadn’t been hunched over and its long black fur gleamed in the torchlight. Its tail twitched with anticipation and its ears flattened against its head when the guards drew their swords. Sissel had never seen a werewolf before but this had to be one, which explained the howl she had heard. One of the guards threw his torch at the beast’s face but it simply raised a clawed hand and batted it away. Sissel’s eyes widened when she saw something on its hand that gleamed silver as the torch hit its arm. It was a silver ring with a wolf’s head carved on the outside. Suddenly, the meaning of the strange conversation she had overheard between the Dragonborn and her companion made sense. This was what had made Cicero smile so widely. It had been the planning of a brutal murder. Sissel was now immensely glad that she had told Skyela of her fear and that something had finally been done. She watched the werewolf drop to all four legs and run towards the guards that scattered to get out of its way. Sissel watched it run out of town and into the darkness of the surrounding plains. She watched for a while longer as the guards tried to clean up the scene. Eventually, one walked to Jouane’s house and knocked. They must have wanted to get someone she and her sister knew to break the news. When Jouane walked to the house and knocked, Sissel mussed her hair and wrinkled her dress to make it appear that she had been sleeping and opened the door.  
“What is going on Jouane?” She asked sleepily.  
“Sissel, my dear, you father was killed a short time ago.” At least around Jouane she wouldn’t have to pretend to be devastated by the news. All she had to do was hide her smile. 

 

The next few days were a flurry of activity for all of Rorikstead. There was the cleanup of the body and arranging for its transportation to the Whiterun Hall of the Dead, the hunt for the perpetrator of the horrible crime, and taking care of the deceased’s children. Sissel and Britte had been staying with Jouane in the days since their father’s death, but soon they would be put on a carriage bound for Riften and Honorhall Orphanage. Sissel hated leaving her only friend behind, but Jouane had promised to visit her as often as he could. Unfortunately, Sissel knew he was an old man and wouldn’t be able to make the long trip very many times. She was currently sitting at Jouane’s dining table while Britte was off enjoying the sympathy of the people from Whiterun who were there to collect their father’s body. Sissel hadn’t told anyone that she had seen the murder and knew who killed her father but she did want to find a way to let Skyela know how much she appreciated her actions that night. The only problem with that was she would likely never encounter the woman again. The life the Dragonborn led was dangerous and highly mobile so she never stayed anywhere too long and it was common knowledge that she disappeared occasionally, sometimes for months at a time. Around five years earlier she hadn’t been seen for nearly a year and no one knew why. Then Sissel had an idea  
“Jouane, Can I have a piece of paper?” she asked.  
“Of course you can my dear. May I ask what for?” Jouane asked pulling out a blank piece of parchment and giving it to her.  
“I just want to write a letter, maybe they can put it on mother’s coffin when they put father beside her.” Sissel told him as she picked up a quill and started writing. Jouane knew how Sissel missed the mother she had never known. Lemkil had blamed her and Britte for her death their entire lives. Jouane nodded and left her to write while he finished gathering the girls’ things and arranging for their trip to Riften. Sissel kept the letter short and vague not wanting to bring Skyela trouble should anyone else read it. All she said was: I know you killed him. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. In fact, I wanted to thank you. He will not be missed. She then folded the letter and headed outside. She saw a courier waiting outside the tavern and she hurried over to him digging the few pieces of gold she had out of her dress pocket.  
“Excuse me sir, I have a letter.” She said holding the letter and small amount of gold up so the man could see she could pay him. He considered this for a few minutes and finally picked up the letter and the gold.  
“Sure. Who should I deliver it to?” he asked.  
“The Dragonborn, if you can find her.” The courier looked afraid but looking at the pleading eyes of the little girl in front of him he gave in.  
“I’ll try my best.” He told her and then headed off to find the ever elusive Dovahkiin. 

 

Sissel was really starting to like Riften. After living in Honorhall Orphanage for nearly a month, she was settled in and doing well. She had made friends with the other children, especially Aventus Aretino, and Constance Michel was like the older sister Britte never was. The only thing that she feared now was Britte, who was just as mean as ever. She had been pushed into the moat by her sister on their first day there but Sissel still hoped that one day she would be adopted. Some of the other children she had befriended had been adopted since then like Samuel and Hroar but no one ever came for her. She hoped that if someone did come that they would leave Britte behind. She wanted a new life and Britte would never stop being a bully. On this particular day, she and Aventus were sitting on the floor next to his bed talking when they heard Constance chirp a greeting to someone. All of the children quickly tried to make themselves look more presentable, hoping that this person was there looking for a child. Sissel looked up when she saw a shadow fill the doorway and saw a tall armored woman standing there. Sissel recognized Skyela instantly and felt her heart leap in excitement hoping she had gotten her letter. She had lost hope a few weeks earlier when she had heard the courier had been found dead. Some of the other children seemed intimidated by the sight of this large armored woman but Sissel and Aventus were glad to see her. Skyela walked down the line of beds looking at the children and gently waving, trying to put the others at ease. She stopped in front of where Sissel and Aventus sat.  
“You, come along.” She said gesturing to Sissel. Sissel couldn’t believe it as she stood up and walked over to Skyela. “Gather your things Sissel. We’re going home.” She said and Sissel nearly cheered in joy. Aventus helped her pack and congratulated her before Britte stomped over. “I’ll handle her,” he said “You go and don’t look back.” He said tossing her the small satchel that contained her few belongings. Sissel caught it and hurried to catch up to Skyela who had walked to the door. As they headed for the gates of Riften, Sissel looked up at the taller Nord and asked “You’re really adopting me? Why?”  
“I got your letter. You’re very smart and you know how to keep some things to yourself. You deserve to be happy and I thought I could give you that.” Skyela said kindly.  
“Thank you, so much.” Sissel whispered and hugged her new mother’s leg. Skyela laughed and picked her up carrying her out of the city to where Shadowmere waited. Sissel had decided this was the best day of her life as Skyela settled her into the saddle and climbed up after her. Sissel watched excitedly as the forest raced by until the sky grew dark and she fell asleep.

Sissel woke up the next morning in a strange place. She sat up and looked around the room. It was a cozy place; there were two child sized beds, one of which she was currently sitting in, a dresser and a wolf’s head on the wall. Sissel got up and started looking around until she heard singing from a lower level of the home and smelled food. She carefully made her way out of the room and looked over the banister into a large central room with a roaring fireplace and a large table where Skyela was setting some food out. She watched for a few minutes until Skyela noticed her.  
“Oh, good morning” She said. Sissel went down the stairs to join the woman who was now technically her mother.  
“Wow, this looks great.” She said taking the seat Skyela had pulled out for her.  
“Thank you.” Skyela said and sat across from her.  
“Where are we?” Sissel asked while she started to eat.  
“This is my home, Lakeview Manor. It was closer than where I usually stay and I don’t want to drop everything on you all at once.” Skyela said. Sissel nodded and they ate in silence for a while until Sissel asked  
“What should I call you?” Skyela seemed surprised by this and thought for a moment.  
“Whatever you would like to call me, I suppose. I know suddenly having someone in the role of a parent can be awkward and if you want to use my name that’s fine but if you want to call me mom or something that is even better.” Sissel was glad she wouldn’t hurt her feelings no matter what she called her.  
“Okay, Mama.” She said and saw the bright grin on Skyela’s face. She knew she could be happy here. 

After a few months of living at Lakeview Manor Sissel felt she had always been Skyela’s daughter. Skyela did spend weeks at a time away from the Manor but always tried to spend as much time as she could with Sissel when she returned. A few times Skyela had brought Cicero with her and Sissel had gotten along with him almost instantly. Skyela had told her that she and Cicero were members of the Dark Brotherhood and that Skyela was its leader, the Listener. Sissel had expected as much and had been excited to hear the stories of contracts they had taken and found herself wanting to join them in the Dawnstar Sanctuary. One day, she got her wish when Skyela told her she thought it was time she met the rest of the family and told her to pack her things. Sissel had more to pack now than when she had arrived thanks to gifts from Skyela and Cicero. Her favorite was the ebony dagger Skyela had made for her. Once again they climbed onto Shadowmere and rode north to Dawnstar. After a day and a half of riding, they arrived at a black door set into the rocky cliffs outside of the small mining city and Sissel followed her mother inside. They walked through a small antechamber and into a large stone room. Sissel looked in awe at the garden that was growing in the left corner underneath a crevice that let sunlight stream into the room. Off to her right was a large sarcophagus that Sissel knew held the Night Mother, the true master of the Brotherhood that told Skyela of people who prayed for a contract. Sissel followed Skyela down a set of stairs into the rest of the room and saw Cicero sitting at a large table along with some other people she didn’t know. Skyela took off her helmet and let out a piercing whistle  
“Everyone, get in here!” she shouted and Sissel saw a Redguard man and a young Breton who looked about her age walk in from another room.  
“Well then, looks like our dear Listener finally brought her daughter to meet the family.” The Redguard said.  
“Sissel, this is Nazir,” Skyela indicated the Redguard, “And this is Babette, our dear little bloodsucker.” Sissel looked at the young Breton and laughed when the other girl smiled and flashed pointed fangs and the red eyes of a vampire. Skyela introduced Sissel to the two initiates sitting at the table with Cicero and then started looking for someone.  
“Cicero, where’s Lucian?” She asked.  
“Who’s Lucian?” Sissel wanted to know. Skyela was about to answer her when a small figure ran out of the shadows of the hall Babette and Nazir had emerged from and latched onto Skyela’s leg.  
“There you are.” Skyela said kneeling down. “Sissel this is Lucian, your little brother and mine and Cicero’s son.” Sissel had heard Skyela mention Lucian before but had never been told exactly who he was and her suspicions that Skyela had a relationship with Cicero were apparently correct. As Skyela turned the young boy around, Sissel got a good look at her new brother. He was around five years old with shaggy hair that at first she thought was black but as she looked closer she saw it was actually dark red. She leaned down to look him in the eyes and was surprised by what she saw, his right eye was gold-brown like his father’s and the left was a deep green that changed to blue near the center.  
“So you’re my big sister.” He said looking at her with mischief on his face.  
“I am and I’m going to be the best big sister you could want.” She said and this made him giggle. “What’s your name?” he asked still laughing. Sissel thought about this, looking around at her new family. She had rid herself of nearly every remnant of her past after she had been adopted by Skyela. She had wanted a completely new life and now that she was with the Dark Brotherhood she had one. Now she found herself wanting a new name, she had always hated Sissel anyway. “If you want to change your name now’s the time.” Skyela said seeming to sense her daughter’s hesitation. Sissel thought for a few moments running through her head all the names she had seen or heard and found one.  
“Scylla.” She said confidently, “My name is Scylla.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading. I really hope you enjoyed it.  
> I can't believe so many people have read this. As a way to thank you all I'll be uploading a sequel soon.  
> Update: Might be a bit longer than anticipated for the sequel. Hard to write papers for classes and a fanfic. it is in progress though and I'll try to get it up as soon as I can.


End file.
